Weather spoils Ducati's first MotoGP test of 2013

21 January 2013

Just a few days after the Desmosedici GP13's official unveiling at Madonna di Campiglio, the Ducati Development Team travelled to Jerez for the factory's first MotoGP test of 2013.

The team, featuring new test rider Michele Pirro and regular Franco Battaini, were present to work on the bike to be raced this year by factory MotoGP riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden plus Pramac's Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone.

But bad weather that has hit Southern Spain in recent days prevented the team from completing its scheduled program, with track time severely limited for both riders.

Bernhard Gobmeier was present at the track for the first time in his new role as Ducati Corse general manager.

“Unfortunately we had some bad luck with the weather, and for two days we were able to do almost nothing,” Gobmeier explained.

“It rained almost the whole time. Today [Monday] we squeezed three days of work into about five hours, which obviously required skipping some of the steps we had planned.

“Anyway, some interesting and positive results emerged, in terms of both the chassis and electronic strategies that we tried.

“If nothing else, we established a clear line to follow in our next test at Jerez.

“Anyway, I was very pleased to see how concentrated the guys on the test team worked. Everybody was very motivated.”

26-year-old Italian Pirro, who spent his debut 2012 MotoGP season on a CRT machine at Gresini and will race in three events as a wild-card for Ducati this year, confirmed:

“The big problem was the weather. That's always a risk with Jerez in January. Fortunately, we were able to do some laps this afternoon and gather some important data for developing the bike.

“It was nice to get back on the track after two months.”

The Sepang MotoGP test will take place from 5-7 February and is the first of three official pre-season tests organised by IRTA.

The season-opening MotoGP race is scheduled for the first weekend of April in Qatar.